The Lilly Library, Indiana University

04/23/2026

Curatorial assistant Kylee Green showcases some eye-opening comics and scrapbooks of optometric interest from the collection of Henry W. Hofstetter, who was the first president of IU's optometry school.

Curatorial assistant Kylee Green showcases some eye-opening comics and scrapbooks of optometric interest from the Hofstetter Collection! These scrapbooks don’t contain family photos or memorabilia. Instead, they contain cartoons about optometry from the years 1900-1993. Well, most are about optome...

04/20/2026

The Lilly Library's Curator of Puzzles, Andrew Rhoda, has been writing a blog series on the incredible mechanical puzzles in the Slocum Collection. His latest post shares some amazing puzzle vessels!

Welcome to the seventh spotlight of the Lilly Library’s Mechanical Puzzle blog series, written by Andrew Rhoda, the Lilly Library’s Curator of Puzzles! Puzzle vessels are objects where the solver drinks from, pours from, or pours into the vessel without spilling or otherwise losing the contents ...

04/08/2026

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover... but sometimes it might be the wisest course of action! Learn all about The Poison Book Project at this year's annual Ruth C. Engs Lecture on Public Health.

Join us at the Lilly Library on Wednesday, April 22, 2026 as we welcome this year’s speakers, Dr. Melissa Tedone and Dr. Rosie Grayburn, Lead Conservator and Conservation Scientist for the Poison Book Project. The speakers will discuss their research focusing on identifying potentially toxic pigments used in bookbinding components and how to handle and store potentially toxic collections more safely.

Along with refreshments, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the history of science and healthcare through a hands-on pop-up exhibition of some of the Lilly Library’s renowned historical medical materials.

See comments below for RSVP link. 📚☠

04/01/2026

https://libraries.indiana.edu/davidben

No April fooling around here but we still have plenty of tricks up our cardigan sleeves here at the Lilly Library! We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of magician and scholar David Ben's remarkable collection chronicling the art and history of magic, illusion, and performance. Read more about it and listen to a podcast interview at the link!

03/26/2026

Hieroglyphs, pillars with eyes, hearts on scales…Egyptian mythology is brimming with religious imagery. Curatorial assistant Jake Gentry gives a brief overview of some of these symbols, in this tomb-multuous blog!

Hieroglyphs, pillars with eyes, hearts on scales…Egyptian mythology is brimming with religious imagery. Curatorial assistant Jake Gentry gives a brief overview of some of these symbols, in this tomb-multuous blog! The polytheistic religion of ancient Egypt has long fascinated both professional Egy...

03/12/2026

Conservation assistant Aveyah Craver gives us some tips and tricks on traditional bookbinding in this exciting conservation-centric blog!

Conservation assistant Aveyah Craver gives us some tips and tricks on traditional bookbinding in this exciting conservation-centric blog! I recently made an enclosure for a set of three, blank, Japanese accounting ledgers. The books were bound in a style that I had never seen before, and I took some...

03/04/2026

What We Keep: An Exploration of Personal Archives Through Harriet Thayer’s Album

Curatorial Assistant and Social Media Manager Jake Gentry spotlights personal archives with the multigenerational album of Harriet Thayer and her daughter Henrietta Malvina.

Curatorial Assistant and Social Media Manager Jake Gentry spotlights personal archives with the multigenerational album of Harriet Thayer and her daughter Henrietta Malvina. Archival science may not seem like it on the surface at times, but it is incredibly personal. The papers, books, and realia pr...

01/16/2026

A very special document has taken center stage at the Lilly Library... 👀

When you imagine the Declaration of Independence, you most likely picture a yellowed, inked manuscript, complete with dozens of names — including John Hancock's famously large signature at the bottom.

But that wasn't the first edition ever made. Before the words could be memorialized, the message had to be spread.

On the night of July 4, 1776, a print maker in Philadelphia was tasked by Congress to create the first publications known of the document. John Dunlap, under the supervision of Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, created hundreds of prints, now known as the "Dunlap broadsides."

These broadsides literally carried the message of American freedom throughout the 13 colonies, and eventually, across the ocean to England. Of the hundreds originally printed, only 26 are known to exist today.

See it for yourself at the library's newest exhibition, "The Declaration of Independence: The Motives, The Moment," on display now through the end of July.

12/10/2025

For generations, The Lilly Library, Indiana University’s collections have helped people explore how belief, culture, and daily life shape one another. 📖🌍 With a new $2.5 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc., this work will continue to grow in meaningful ways.

The grant endows a cataloger of religious materials and supports a traveling exhibition that will bring rare texts and cultural artifacts to communities across Indiana and beyond. This new position strengthens how the library preserves, organizes, and shares materials that help us understand the human experience in all its depth and diversity.

Building on an earlier $2.5 million award that endowed the curator of religious collections, this support reflects a continued commitment to expanding access, fostering curiosity, and helping people connect with stories that have shaped history.

Learn more about the impact of this generous support: https://bit.ly/4oFnwk0

04/09/2025

Board-game fans, this one's for you! Don't miss this Granfalloon Festival event next week at The Lilly Library, Indiana University!
What: Geoffrey Engelstein on "Kurt Vonnegut's GHQ: The Lost Board Game"
When: April 16 - 4 pm, gameplay and reception; 6pm, lecture

Geoff Engelstein is an award-winning table-top game designer and educator. His game titles include Space Cadets, The Expanse, and the Super Skill Pinball series, and book titles include Building Blocks of Tabletop Game Design, Achievement Relocked, and The Universe Explained with a Cookie. Podcast credits include the long-running GameTek series on The Dice Tower, and Ludology. He is also on the faculty of the NYU Game Center.

Link in comments for additional information about Kurt Vonnegut's GHQ!

02/12/2025

We're so excited for week's event, Unsung Romance: A Conversation with Beverly Jenkins, which has been featured on Axios.

While the in-person event is full, the Livestream is open to all! See comments for link to the stream. Video will also be available to watch after the event.

Pioneering author Beverly Jenkins will be in conversation as part of the exhibit.